Posted in Inspiration, tagged art, beauty, collaboration, colors, friendship, image essay, Inspiration, musings, painting, poetry, Talking Writing, travel, writers on December 12, 2012| 1 Comment »
Are the holidays especially hectic for you too? If so, I highly recommend you steal away to a quiet corner and read this image essay by poet and artist Donald Langosy. A treat for the eyes and soul, I’d say. 😉 http://talkingwriting.com/image-essay-donald-langosy/
“The Metaphysician and Monsignor” © Donald Langosy
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged colors, Contributing Writer, flowers, Inspiration, nature, petals, Photography, poetry, white on October 3, 2012| 1 Comment »
… something soft and dreamy and a bit fantastic but, at the moment, the words are not fully forming in my head. A good thing since I have a very concrete project to complete involving hard numbers and rigid forms. But if you have a poem to share, please do. 😉
Posted in Branches, Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged beauty, family, Inspiration, leaves, musings, nature, Photography, poetry on July 10, 2012| 4 Comments »
I photograph a lot of leaves. Today I have decided I will one day write an essay about these things. I may reference the sensuous as an ode to Georgia O’Keeffe.
Or I may give a nod to Walt Whitman who described a leaf (or at least a leaf of grass) as the journey work of stars.
I can write of spidery patterns and blood-filled veins.
Of jagged ridges and rolling hills.
Of silhouettes in blue and green.
Of people protected and hidden half-seen.
Of autumn’s first leaves submerged and later frozen …
… and then go on to describe the new growth that emerges each spring.
And what sparked this thought of writing about leaves? A note from my brother who wrote, until he paused in his day and sat outside with his 2-year old son, he never really noticed the simple beauty of leaves blowing in the breeze.
Posted in Inspiration, tagged Contributing Writer, friends, Inspiration, journal, life, light, musings, personal, Photography, poetry on April 26, 2012| 2 Comments »
In an old journal, I found the following words. Perhaps one day I will polish them, but even a bit rough, I feel inclined to share them, paired with some new images. I suppose I should be sharing a poem, given that it’s Put a Poem in Your Pocket Day, but perhaps there is poetry embedded in these words and images.
Journal Entry: Several friends think that I never go to the dark places. That I always see the light in the world. The glass is always at least half-full. Lemons can always be turned into tasty lemonade. There is no dark so dense where some bit of brightness cannot be found. At such accusations, I usually say nothing or I perhaps point out the beauty of fallen petals upon the ground. I do not to say with indignation, you are wrong because I do go to the dark places. Don’t we all? I do not say, I have seen the dark clouds descend from once-bright skies and settle over once-clear roads. Haven’t we all? But, for me, you know what always happens … even upon the darkened road … eventually? Winds come and blow the clouds away. If there is a lingering dark fog, the sun rises and burns it to a cooling mist, refreshing upon the skin. When I’m in the darkest place, pitch black, I don’t always see the light but I know it’s there somewhere. It has to be. I can feel it even if I cannot see it. Don’t the blind feel the sun on their faces?
Maybe that’s why I write, why I photograph. To show that no matter how dark, light penetrates and reveals certain glories. In the contrasts, the shadows created, the silhouettes that emerge, unique beauty is revealed. That is what I want to convey, in whatever medium feels right in the moment. The simple beauty in this life.
I do not want to ignore the dark, or the fears that spring to life though I may not always share such fears with friends. I will walk the dark roads until the sun rises. I will carry a flashlight or a lit candle and if these items should fail then I will take a deep breath and raise my eyes to the sky and focus on the tiny beacons of the stars. And who knows, I might even see a sliver of moon. All I know is I may walk in the dark – we all do at some point in our lives — but I will not stay there. I will not.
Posted in Inspiration, tagged Inspiration, plums, poetry, William Carlos Williams on December 16, 2011| Leave a Comment »
… that since yesterday’s post, still no plums have I eaten, but a friend did share a poem. 😉
This Is Just To Say
I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox
and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast
Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold
by William Carlos Williams
Posted in Inspiration, Kitchen Inspirations, tagged Contributing Writer, Elizabeth Langosy, food, Inspiration, Mary Oliver, Photography, poetry on December 15, 2011| 2 Comments »
Today, I could stand it no longer. I raced to the grocery store in the rain. You see, over the past couple of weeks I read two very different literary works that had me hungering to purchase specific food items. For what purpose? Photography followed by consumption. First I read Elizabeth Langosy’s article, A.S. Byatt’s Plums. In a nutshell, the article explores the challenge for writers in conveying sensory experiences to the reader. It is a powerful read accompanied by visually striking images of plums that have yet to leave my mind. I couldn’t find them in the store today, but thankfully I did find green beans. You see, I had also read Mary Oliver’s poem, Beans.
In Oliver’s same book, she writes of walking through blueberry fields and of gathering honeyed blossoms with crispy seeds. But in the grocery store, the blueberries did not jump into my basket nor did bottles of bright gold honey. I did buy one red pepper and a bit of garlic to stir fry with the green beans.
After one last look for plums, I found an asian pear on sale. FYI, later at home, after a bit of slicing and dicing, that made a tasty snack!
I also found sitting alone at the bottom of a shallow basket, a passion fruit. In my literary frame of mind, I was instantly reminded of the women’s travel magazine called Passion Fruit that I had found very inspiring when I first dabbled at travel writing. I bought it and, once home, immediately sliced into it.
I have since learned that I probably should not have sliced it open just yet, but there is a part of me that is not sorry to see such pale beauty.
Posted in Inspiration, tagged Contributing Writer, Inspiration, people, Photography, photos, pictures, poetry, reflections on November 6, 2011| Leave a Comment »
This morning from the shelf I pulled the book Good Poems, selected and arranged by Garrison Keillor. It is a wonderful compilation that I used to carry with me as I commuted for work and pleasure across Boston via the green line train. I carried the book for its words but also for another reason. Not only am I both calmed and inspired by poetic works, I love books of poetry because of the white space on the page. This beautiful tome has plenty of white space. With such space I needed only to pull a pen from my pocket to jot down errant thoughts. To capture them to view later. If I remembered. Well, I’d forgotten the words written in the margins of this book nearly five years ago. On this bright Sunday morning, I am glad I found them. — CS
August 29, 2007
His name is Herbie. I remember that. I’ve seen him all the years that I’ve lived up here, traveling through Copley Station. A wee black man and his flute. It has been awhile. His hair has grown long and gray, and new lines etch his dark face. His smile has not diminished. He always says, “Hello, sweetie,” or sometimes, “darling.” Though I place no money in his cup, his smile never fades. His smile makes me smile, no matter what ills of the day. He reminds me of simple pleasure. Of greetings.
*
Her name I know not. She told me once but I can’t remember. She comes into Trinity on Fridays covered in cloth from head to foot like a Bedouin, except her robes are not blue but many-hued. We both have a gap between our front teeth. She says it is due to our British ancestry. She likes my smile. She says all of me, my whole being, smiles when I do. I told her she gives me reason.
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged butterfly, Inspiration, light, Photography, photos, pictures, poetry, shadow on November 2, 2011| 1 Comment »
in silhouette upon the wall
a butterfly’s four wings did fall
like blackest night
cut into lace —
a dear friend’s gift
in morning light
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, On the Road, tagged beauty, Boston, clouds, color, Gregory Orr, Inspiration, nature, Photography, photos, pictures, poetry, sky, travel on October 13, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged poetry, spring, william blake on April 16, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Sound the flute!
Now it’s mute.
Birds delight
Day and Night;
Nightingale
In the dale,
Lark in Sky,
Merrily,
Merrily, merrily, to welcome in the Year.
Little Boy,
Full of joy;
Little Girl,
Sweet and small;
Cock does crow,
So do you;
Merry voice,
Infant noise,
Merrily, merrily, to welcome in the Year.
Little Lamb,
Here I am;
Come and lick
My white neck;
Let me pull
Your soft Wool;
Let me kiss your soft face;
Merrily, merrily, welcome in the Year.
Words + Images 